It has chat as well as scores entered. I have a very good opponent here, so good that at the end that I have had to learn fast and to be careful. I thus arrived at that endgame and went into alternatives overdrive - and made a complete hash of calculating due to forgetting I'd already played the X. Getting around that stupidity, I then went for best moves calculation, and realised I had also AGAIN (from the last game) misread his end letters. What is it about me? I read ADDEINR when they were ADEEINR - so I took it there were two 7 letter words (that he could not get out, even in the open lower board) and ORDAINED across an O but prevented by GRIGN which is not a word. This should have given me confidence to play to maximum score with the X, but I played with nerves to the southern area of the board to add blockage. Here is how it went up to last moves.Scrabble at Mick 6 Adrian 1 games
Mick: HA 10
Adrian: HAP UPDART 20
Mick: IT IRON 18
Adrian: AKIN 18
Mick: UT MILDEST 33
Adrian: CYME 33
Mick: AIM DI LA *eM 21
Adrian: NE RIFE IF KI 33
Mick: DIV *eMO VOLE 32
Adrian: HE QUARE 31
Mick: SQUARE JOWS 45
Adrian: NONFATAL 94
Mick: YO YO OW 35
Adrian: JO LOB YOB 28
Mick: VOLES SCUG 33
Adrian: ROPE NO OP NE 26
Mick: DIVI OI 12
Adrian: EL DEV DA 21
Mick: AKING RIFER GRIG 30
Adrian: ABNEGAT*e 61
Mick: SWITHE TROPE 39 [this play leaves Mick with ADEEINR and 0 letters in pot; wanted to play ENDEARING on the now used G]
Adrian: DEVA EAUX 35 [from AEETUXZ - analysis below]
[Note that I misread his letters. I misread that he had ADDENIR giving DANDIER, DRAINED and, with an O but blocked, ORDAINED. Obviously I have difficulty seeing as well as adding up. He has ADEENIR. Up at the top right I could have played ZAX for a 47 score, but his triple would have meant a score of 45 for ZA AD AD - but obviously down at the bottom was potentially open and I calculated a reply score of 17 to my 35 for EAUX DEVA DA EL, plus the block advantage, with B the only accepted link in front of the word EAUX and unavailable, and as he can't go out I could get the Z out unless blocked by HEARD DIT, which he must play for advantage. He then has EEIN. I go RET HE ET for 12, and he plays NINE for 4. My Z passes. He plays his E at WE for 10. He then gets 10 and I lose 10. This calculates to 340 + 13 +4 +10 + 10 him and 399 + 12 - 10 me or 377 him 401 me.
Had I played ZAX for 47 he would have played ZA AD AD for 45 and then I'd have played RET HE ET for 11, REIN him for 4, DAE is 4 for me and he does GEN for 4 and has + 1 for my U and I lose 1. He gets 340 + 45 + 4 + 4 + 1 394. I get 364 + 47 + 11 + 4 - 1 425. Variant A.
I could have played the X in the strongest position available leaving the lower board open. Mick has ADEENIR. So REX HE EX makes 18 + 5 + 17 or 40. He still plays HEARD DIT to block 13. I have AUTZ. I play ZA DEVA and get 19. Mick plays NINE for 4. TO under the Z gives me 13. Mick loses 1 for E and I gain 1. For me that's 364 + 40 + 19 + 13 + 1 or 437. Mick gets 340 + 13 + 4 -1 or 356. Variant B.
Mick 377 Adrian 401 (win by 24) EAUX - the nervous play to block the southern area of the board
versus
Mick 356 Adrian 437 (win by 81) REX - the highest scoring win leaving the southern area of the board relatively open
Mick 394 Adrian 425 (win by 31) ZAX - the jump to the triple, the rejected option.
Now see what happens.
Mick doesn't play HEARD at all! He plays DAE OE for 10 and 350. I'm 399. This is an irrational choice regarding my known Z and its limited potential two placings.
I can now play the Z as it remains unblocked. DAZE gives 14 to me. I'm 413. This is illustrated.
He has ENIR left allowing, with the N, going out on INNER for 5. then I have T -1 me +1 him. Silly me. INNER connects with XI.
Mick 356 Adrian 412 (win by 56)
Mick 365 Adrian 412 (win by 47)
But he may play DE ER AR for 17 and I play HET for 6 leaving him with NI -2 +2 for me. That's 367 -2 or 365 him and 419 +2 or 421.
Mick 365 Adrian 421 (win by 56)
It's interesting that my opponent did not try to block my Z. Perhaps it was because he could not win. But I would still play as best as possible, short of psychological blocks and uncertainty. Perhaps my irrational play is spreading.
And I still can't see the obvious, given XI as a second connector.
So it continued:
Mick: OE DAE 10
Adrian: DAZE 14
Mick: XI INNER 14
Adrian: -1
Mick: +1
Mick 365 Adrian 412 (win by 47)
My opponent has challenged me immediately to another game. I prefer a break.
He chats that I think I am hard but am I hard enough? I ask what does he think, seeing as he has just lost. I grant that he is a Premier League player and I am in the Championship, but look at how similar these scores appear, and had I been less 'blind', assured and a bit more rational my score would have been 437. But I have to recognise - and why I play with some caution - that I don't see things and mis-see things. The graphic regarding Dominic is wrong - many days ago I played him and completed that game. It's 6 Mick 2 Me and 10 Me 2 Dominic in games.
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